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As you see, I am a middle-born child. My friend has his own
theory stating that the first-born has his/her spot as the carrier of the
family banner and is responsible for everything; the last-born has
his/her comfy little role, but the middle-born has no distinctive place
to call his/her own; therefore, he/she places great importance on
his/her peer group. One common characteristic is that such people are
good mediators or negotiators. I hope it is really so and I am learning
the fine art of compromise trying to be right in the middle, between
brother and sister, whatever the case may be. This skill can be a good
asset and will help me to adjust to my adult life.
My grandparents on my Dad’s side are elderly. They are
pensioners. They have old-age (retirement) pensions. Grandfather
worked at school. Grandmother was a librarian. Grandma is a Pole.
Granddad is Russian.
We have many relatives on Mum’s side. My aunts, uncles, and
cousins live in different countries: Latvia, Moldova, Estonia,
Hungary. Once a year they all come to see us. I am always delighted
to see them.
***

Text 3

The Average British Family

A

Peter, the father of the family, is 45. He is a skilled manual
worker at a major British engineering company. He met his wife
Lucy when he was 24, and they got married two years later. They
have two children, Emma and Jack. They live on the outskirts of a
large town in the Midlands of Britain.
Peter used to smoke, but gave it up because of worries about
his health. Like many Britons, he’s a little overweight for his height
and makes occasional – and not very successful – efforts to lose
weight.
Lucy is 41, and was working in a shop when she met Peter. She
gave up work to rear the children after they had married, but got a
part-time job when Jack started full time at school at the age of five.

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